I don't use use recipes, I just cook. Some recipes are complete and some not so much. Got a question or need more detail? Ask me. If you try a recipe please leave a comment about how you liked it, or didn't, and any variations that you did. Recipes are not scientific formulas, and it is useful to see how ingredients and amounts can be altered to get a different result.
Incredibly Easy Pan Sauce
Basic Sauce
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbs of oil or clarified butter (ghee)
1/4 cup diced onion
1 cup red wine like Shiraz
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Basically you are going to 1) Sauté some things to brown them and create a fond (tasty browned bits on the bottom of the pan) 2) Add liquid to the pan to loosen up the frond otherwise known as deglazing. 3) Finish the sauce for serving.
A small amount of tomato paste is used to add umami; there isn't enough to actually taste tomato in the sauce. Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies that add umami as well.
Let's get started. Add a tsp of oil to a pan and cook mushrooms and onion in oil until they start to brown. Better yet dice some bacon, cook it in the pan; you don't need any oil and it tastes much better. Add garlic, if you are using it, towards the end of the process so it doesn't brown and get bitter. If you are cooking a meat dish, just use the pan that you browned the meat in. Brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan is fine, this the fond. If it burns, don't use it because the sauce will taste ....burned.
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Stir in tomato paste, brown sugar, Dijon Mustard (optional), Worcestershire sauce, and then add 1 cup red wine (deglaze). Cook this mixture on medium until the volume is reduced by 50%. Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth and cook to concentrate the sauce.
# Ways to Thicken the sauce
1. Mix some flour and oil (or butter) about 50:50 (called roux) and stir into the simmering sauce. Alternatively, you can use Wondra flour. Restaurants use a ton of butter to finish the sauce. Don't use flour and water unless you like a lumpy sauce!
2. Cook the sauce until it reduces volume and naturally gets thicker
3. Do #2 above and add a little heavy cream
The point is to make a small amount of intensely flavored sauce to compliment the main course, not a gallon of gravy to submerge it.
- If it gets too thick add some water or broth
- You may also find that it needs extra salt. If it is bland, usually it needs salt
- If you make it too salty, too spicy, or anything else, you can always add a little cream to smooth it out.
Variations
1. Add extra black or green pepper to make a Peppercorn sauce
2. Add some smoke and heat with Chipotle peppers
3. Replace the tomato paste with 1 TBS Dijon Mustard if you ar thickening with cream to make a Mustard sauce for chicken.
4. Add so Roquefort cheese to make a killer sauce for steaks!!!
For a "wine" sauce add a little red wine at the end so that it doesn't cook off.
